Practical Principles

I was a little surprised when my sister recently commented that my Gum Removal post had been the most practical and helpful post that I've blogged. She seemed to think I should share more practical advice. I have found that the more kids I have, the more I find myself focusing on (and bloggin about) principals instead of the methods that have really faded out of importance in my mothering. My memory seems to have retained only what it deemed the essentially important stuff (which usually is, the principle). I have found that children survive whether they were scheduled or on-demand, whether they wore huggies or Pampers, etc... Whether little butts ought to be slathered in organic diaper cream or stinky ole Desitin doesn't get me real revved up anymore. I usually don't even remember what worked and what didn't. These days, I cling to my principles and very often just shake my head and laugh, run for the camera and instruct as I go. But I think my sister has a point. New mothers do need a little methodology sometimes to bring godly principals into practical mothering because it is such new ground. So, I've decided to try harnessing some principal with a little more step by step practical help here on To Train Up a Mother. Beginning with.........HOW TO RESPOND WHEN YOUR SON RIPS APART YOUR HOME AND YARD TO MAKE A HOMEMADE CAST IN IMITATION OF HIS FATHER:
1. First, breathe. Try to see past the gaps in your little white picket fence and look at your son's heart. He wants to be just like Daddy. What a beautiful thing! Scripture says the heart, is "the wellspring of life" so we don't want to bypass it's intentions! I highly recommend Shepherding a Child's heart if you have not read it.

2. Get the camera. We want to capture these beautiful things.

3. Laugh. Because...it is funny. The kid has a pair of Fruit of the looms wrapped around his foot, held securely with a bungy cord. He has ripped apart the white picket fence of the American dream in such perfect childish irony.

4. Now of course, instruct him. After you get a good pictures, make sure he puts back his Father's bungy cord and understands to ask permission next time he gets into Dad's stuff. Make sure he puts the briefs in the laundry, and that (here's the clincher!) he fixes the fence. If you fix it for him, you've just crushed his dream of being like his hard working Daddy.

5. Don't feel guilty if you need a margarita now. A lot of us would. ;)